Eddiemoto, how in the world did you kick out 100 miles with a broken pelvis! -- I am heading next to read your Race Report on that one. :-)

Also, how many MPW were you running prior to doing that first 100 mile ultra??

WC runner, one of the most Respected runners at RWOL, good to see you over here :-) (Or have you been over here for some time?) If you are doing the 2012 fall NC-24, I will be at that one. (Not going to do spring because that conflicts with the Hampton race around the same time).

The pelvis was healed. It fractured in October and I was able to get back to training by January if I remember correctly. I had other issues though too after that. It all worked out in the end. As for MPW... I think I was averaging about 70-80 miles a week, but I would have to double check that. I had one week that I ran 144.

I really hope to run Burning River with a very good friend of mine in 2014. I'm hoping for 2014 to be a big year for me.

BTW, I don't want to give you the impression that I'm a super experienced Ultra Runner. I'm not.

I have seen my share of runners from all abilities tackle timed races. I am amazed year after year at the people that get 100 miles in 24 hours or even longer. 3 Days has a 48 hour option and a 72 hour option.

I would never tell some one to train less or to run less but those that get the MOST miles on race day from the least amount of training are those that walk and run and don't stop moving.

I am taking DB and those of that level out of this conversation. I have seen Phil McCarthy set the 48 Hour American Record and Connie Gardner come close but you are not currently in that level and almost everyone reading this post is not of that level.

Beware the Chair. Do not stop moving. Can you run a marathon in 6 hours? Can you do it 4 times in a row? Slow and steady gets you to 100 miles in 24 hours, not a sprint and then sit on your ass for 4 hours. Get up and sprint some more then take a nap.

A good crew helps but having no one there may work better for you. Do you like to be coddled or are you better with a drill instructor telling you to keep moving and get off your ass and back out there?

100 Miles is going to be done between your ears long before it is done by your legs. Make the decision to do it and it will happen.

100 in 24 in a 24 hour race is just as much about other skills than about running. Pacing = what was your walk run strategy? Even when I know I could run a sub 2:50 marathon, by pace is likely below 7 MPH and I walk early and often. What is your eating / fueling / hydration / electrolyte strategies?

Another thing is how much pain are you willing to endure

How much risk of injury are you willing to take

The body is an amazing thing, but weak and tries to get you to quit way earlier than you would have to. You mind is the master and can force your body to continue if it is strong enough (Most of the time)

The 1st 24 I ran. By hour 6 I was getting so dizzy I would almost pass out, so I would walk until it went away, then run until it happened again. This process was repeated 10-12 times a hour until the end.

The 1st good one I ran - Everything went well until almost 100 miles. Then for the next 8 hours my knee had such a sharp stabbing pain that I had tears in my eyes for the 8 hours as I forced my weak body to continue.

I find I have grown more mentally weak as I continue in the 24 hour race. I also find that the more things that are going wrong the harder to overcome. Nasuea, Dizziness, Blisters, Chaffing, knee pain, feet feling like hamburger, vertigo, shortness of breath, back pain, squirts ... Give me one of these and I can mentally ignore it, but 2 or more severe issues at the same time and it starts to be harder to overcome.

I also tend to take time every few hours to stretch out.

So to answer your question - You can get to 100 miles sooner than you think. Yes you may need more mileage and a longer time running, but you also need to understand how to take care of all the other important things + know how to solve all the usual problems.

-- I will now ask a question that is probably not answerable, but considering my newness to long distance running, and the fact that my first attempt in Apr 2012 (when woefully underprepared) was 40 miles, and the fact that my 5K time PR's are currently 22:30ish, not the 18's and really fast speeds that others put up.... Do you think it pretty feasible that with 3-4 years of training + gradual increase in MPW to the 60+ MPW range, that I can make it someday to being able to getting 100 miles done in a 24-hour race? (Other stats, age 40, 160 lbs, Fastest one miler was a 6:45, 10K race pace for me on a PR attempt is almost exactly 8:00/mile, Half-Marathon PR pace is about an 8:30 Mile)

That is astonishing to me! I thought you might have done 100+ MPW and have ran 10 years.

A 24-hour race to me sounds like suicidal, but of course anything is possible when you put a mind on it firmly, such as Eddie Izzard completed 43 marathons in 51 days after training for only 5 weeks. He ran one marathon a day, 6 days a week for 7 weeks straight and raised over £1million.

If you have been to a few 100 mile races and see 50 year old - 60 year old or in the case of Fast Eddie 70 year old guys hitting 100 miles. I know a few of the people who hit 100 miles that do not train more than 30-40 MPW, are not as fast as you and they can hit 100 in the 24. It is because they are mentally strong (Masochists), understand what to do and they know how to solve problems.

24 hour races are different animals - At least in a marathon, 50 or 100 mile race you have a finish line fulling you forward or you DNF. In a 24 hour race as soon as you finsih you 1st lap you will not DNF. Time is a hard concept for some to wrap their mind around.

Last 24 I failed because I cared about pace instead of going at the lowest possible effort level (While running) for as long as possible.

There are so many ways to screw up your 24 hour race that even getting to 90% of your potential on a given day is a near miracle.

Goal #1 should be - Stay on course moving for all 24 hours - Except for Bathroom and stretch breaks. Screw mileage on the next one, prove to yourself and me that you can stay moving for all 24 hours. I watched 3 walkers (2 guys and 1 woman) one year at FANS24 do > 100 miles.

Don't worry about lap time or distance - Make a strategy that is just to be on course for all 24 - Heck even 3 MPH = 72 miles.

I really like the track ones. I have done both Badgerland and Cornbelt. They are the only two open 400m track 24's in the country, and both are located in the midwest. Although Cornbelt is a nice, well established race, I like Badgerland much more for a couple of reasons. First of all, the bathroom is right off of the track. At Cornbelt you have to go too far away each time you need to use the facilities. I guess that is something to watch out for in any 24. Also, while I don't care about chip/non-chip timing in most races, in fixed time, loop course races, it really makes me nervous making sure that the volunteers are paying attention and see me ever lap. With runner's brain it is so hard to keep track of laps in the later hours. Cornbelt has fantastic volunteers, but I like Badgerland's chip timing. I really disliked having to repeatedly go a couple lanes wide in the turns to get around multiple family members walking with their racer while at Cornbelt. Badgerland has rules in place that made it a more enjoyable experience. You can tell that a fellow ultrarunner puts it on.

Alot of great information and pointers, I appreciate your responses greatly :-)

Sue asked why not do it sooner than 3 years, and my assumption was that it would take me alot longer to get the mileage base needed. My biggest MPW so far was a 41, but I think I have had alot more room to add more miles faster. Today for example I was really thrilled because I set out to do 10-12, but felt so good that I kept going and did 19 miles, which is my longest practice run ever. So in the first 3 days of this week I have an 8, a 10, and a 19 for a total of 37 miles already and I actually have felt better each day! No lasting soreness, no issues, so I think it is time for me to ramp it on up. -- History of illness is 0, have not been sick in years and I have not had any injury issues in quite some time, so should be no problems there. - Will go and jump in the ultrarunners group so I can read and learn. :-)

HasherRick, What you say is exactly right, but I failed to do that in my first 24-hour race. My methodology was to jog as long as I could, then walk as long as I could. The running lasted about 15, the walking lasted about 20, and the hobbling lasted about 5... I went out way too fast. "Slower is better" is something I will utilize on my next run. Also the 'keep moving' statement. I stopped nearly every lap (3.75 mile laps) and it was on about lap 11 that I sat in a chair for what I thought would be a 10 minute break and never was able to rise again! I'm going in with a completely different strategy in 2013. As far as crew, I am very independent, so I have done these types of races alone.

Dopplebock, solid information you are providing. :-) I do remember about mile 30 that my feet indeed felt like hamburger and tendon pain, knee pain, swollen fingers such that I could not make a fist... It was the mental part that did me in though. Once I sat in that chair at mile 40, I was only 12 hours into the race. My attitude suddenly went to 'why did I sign up for this?!' 'time to go" and I went home (Local race) and slept. A more solid commitment alone probably would have gotten me another 20 miles at least on top of that 40 easily. I've spent nearly a year now with building a 'not going to quit' attitude, strengthening body and mind so the 2013 race should be a giant leap upward.

I'm writing too much, but want to say again thank you all for your posts! Perhaps I will see some of you at a race in the coming years.

KLD-I remember your post on RWOL. Glad you're looking forward to another 24. Don't get injured. Oh, and come to Northcoast. Even if you don't need a crew, it's nice t

o have friends cheering for you on every lap.

DB-How do you NOT focus on pace when you have a goal in mind? I realize that you have to set a realistic goal but doesn't that then translate to having to maintain a pace? (In the case of the first 12 hours, making sure you don't go out too fast?)

MTA: Actually, for me, the first few hours were all about trying to run a certain pace. Then it was hanging on and not fading too much.

WG-There is a new 24 hour track race in GA, the day after Thanksgiving.

HasherRick-I totally agree about the mental aspects. And not stopping. A big goal for my second 24hour race was to keep moving for the entire race.

That's something I need to keep in mind if I like my first foray into ultra running. I can combine my love of racing on the track with long distance.

It is tougher than you think. Mandy and Ethan was watching my paces from the website and was calling and texting to the sidelines telling people to slow me down. I remember running along side David for many miles just chatting up a storm and not really thinking I was going out the gate too fast.

It was my first fixed-time event and I managed to hit 90 miles. My 5k PR is about the same as yours, KLD, so I think that if you get your mileage up you could definitely have the potential for 100 miles. I have run an average of about 42 mpw for the last 3 years, with my summer mileage getting ready for Equalizer averaging 55+, peaked at 80 mpw.